It was the happiness of this woman and the gesture of her hands as she went about making her tortillas is what drew me to this scene. Her hands and smile told more about her life than her surroundings. It was the sense of joy she communicated with her expression that really mattered, so what more did I need from my source photograph? Sometimes finding that quality that drew you to take the photograph is harder to find than you would expect. Details that you may not have noticed when you took the photograph start to get in the way of that original inspiration. My approach to the scene, cropped in closer and using a much more limited color palette, enhanced what caused me to paint this woman from Guatemala.

"Making Tortillas" is one of my paintings included in "Portraits of Life: An Ekphrastic Anthology" available through Fallen Tree Press. The book is the result of an event sponsored by Ellicott City Poetry and Prose, a non-profit organization, in conjunction with an exhibition my work and that of Elaine Weiner-Reed. Take some time to listen to the video I have provided here to hear the poet reading her piece.

Mounted and varnished this painting arrive in a Brushed Silver Frame 33" X 22"